HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1516
3 JOHN
Greetings
This letter is from John, the elder.*
I am writing to Gaius, my dear friend, whom
I love in the truth.
2 Dear friend, I hope all is well with you
and that you are as healthy in body as you are
strong in spirit. 3 Some of the traveling teachers*
recently returned and made me very happy by
telling me about your faithfulness and that you
are living according to the truth. 4 I could have
no greater joy than to hear that my children are
following the truth.
• Loneliness
3 JO H N 1 :5 - 8
Have you ever taken a trip to a distant
city only to walk through the terminal
and find a sea of strange faces in the
baggage claim area? How good it is to
finally find that familiar person who has
come to meet you! In its early days, the
church depended heavily on traveling
evangelists and teachers to preach to
nonbelievers and instruct new Christians.
Hospitality was not only a cultural value
but also a matter of survival for the
sojourning servants of God. We live in
a world where travel is much easier, but
loneliness is even more common since
many people never live in one place long
enough to get to know their neighbors,
let alone a church family. How might you
or your church use simple hospitality to
show the love of Christ to the people who
pass through your community?
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Caring for the Lord’s Workers
5 Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when
you care for the traveling teachers who pass
through, even though they are strangers to you.
6 They have told the church here of your loving
friendship. Please continue providing for such
teachers in a manner that pleases God. 7 For
they are traveling for the Lord,* and they accept
nothing from people who are not believers.* 8 So
we ourselves should support them so that we
can be their partners as they teach the truth.
9 I wrote to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have
anything to do with us. 10 When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the evil
accusations he is making against us. Not only
does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers,
he also tells others not to help them. And when
they do help, he puts them out of the church.
11 Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are
God’s children, and those who do evil prove
that they do not know God.*
12 Everyone speaks highly of Demetrius, as
does the truth itself. We ourselves can say the
same for him, and you know we speak the truth.
Conclusion
13 I have much more to say to you, but I don’t
want to write it with pen and ink. 14 For I hope to
see you soon, and then we will talk face to face.
15*Peace be with you.
Your friends here send you their greetings.
Please give my personal greetings to each of
our friends there.
1 Greek From the elder. 3 Greek the brothers; also in verses 5
and 10. 7a Greek They went out on behalf of the Name.
7b Greek from Gentiles. 11 Greek they have not seen God.
15 Some English translations combine verses 14 and 15 into
verse 14.